Michiyo's bright home is a peaceful respite from the bustle of Kyoto's city center. Her house, a quick 10-minute train ride from Kyoto station, is nestled in a residential neighborhood and has beautiful views of the famous Hiei-zan mountain. Michiyo enjoys cooking for friends and family and experimenting with new flavors and ingredients she discovers. Whenever she is out and eats something new and interesting, she tries to recreate the flavor at home in her own style. Michiyo's passion for cooking developed while she lived abroad for five years - she loved inviting her neighbors who were from all over the world to introduce them to authentic Japanese cooking. She realized she was happiest when cooking and feeding people and further honed her cooking skills at a culinary school after returning to Japan. Michiyo looks forward to welcoming travelers into her family home and connecting with travelers through the love that she puts into her food. Michiyo will pick guests up at the train station in her car and drive three minutes to her home. Michiyo and her husband, who live with their well-behaved daschsund dog, will invite you for a cultural immersion into Japanese food, drinks, hospitality, and tradition. Your Japanese feast will begin with a welcome beverage and be followed by authentic dishes such as nikujaga (slow-cooked meat with potatoes and seasonal vegetables), a tofu side dish and dashi-based soup, followed by a main course of perhaps chirashi-sushi or tender fried chicken flavored with Japanese ingredients. If you book a cooking experience, Michiyo will lead travelers in a hands-on cooking class in her kitchen. Travelers will learn how to make dashi stock, a fundamental building block of Japanese cuisine, and to perfectly prepare sushi rice for chirashi-sushi, garnished and served in a traditional Japanese wooden rice bowl. The cooking portion of the experience is about 90 minutes.